The two were very close and Mordecai was highly regarded and respected by both King Xerxes and the Jewish people. When, several years later, Nehemiah asked the Persian King for permission to return to Zion and rebuild Jerusalem, "the Queen is seating by him" (Nehemia 2:6), and she influenced the King's decision to approve Nehamia's request. Rabbah28:6). This prayer also mentioned her situation, which contrasted with that of Sarah andRebekah: they were taken for a single night to the court of a foreign king and miracles were performed for them. Codification of basic Jewish Oral Law; edited and arranged by R. Judah ha-Nasi c. 200 C.E. The enraged King ordered Haman's hanging, elevated Mordecai to prime minister and gave Jews the right to defend themselves against any enemy. Mordechai and Esthers relationship was an important part of the events of the Book of Esther. QueenEsther, the central character in the Biblical book named after her, is extensively and sympathetically portrayed in the Rabbinic sources. missed each other by at least 50 years. The situation was even more serious according to the tradition that Esther was married to Mordecai (the Babylonian tradition), for then, as a married woman, she committed adultery. The plea was turned down by her. Esther was a Jewish woman who lived in Persia during the period following the destruction of the First Holy Temple, when many Jews had been taken as slaves to Babylonia, which was subsequently overtaken by Persia. The Feast of Purim was instituted to help the Jews remember their deliverance from Haman. Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. During Jacob's stay, he fell in love with Rachel . tradition is that Queen Esther's tomb is in Hamadan, also known as When she became orphaned, she was adopted by her cousin Mordecai. In order to recognize Mordecais efforts, the king made him his minister and gave him a royal robe and princely apparel. The king agreed, not knowing that Esther, his beloved queen, and Mordecai, the man to whom he owed his life, were both Jews. Happy Womens History Month! TheA type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).Midrash adds that Esthers father died during her mothers pregnancy, and the latter died during childbirth (Esth. Am Yisrael Chai The Book of Esther does not say how old Esther was when she was taken to Ahasueruss palace; different midrashic traditions address this question. Decades ago, the historian Elias Bickerman drew attention to a marvelous coincidence: a postscript in the Greek translation of Esther tells us that in 78 or 77 BCE, just one year before Queen Shelamzion began to rule by herself, Megillat Esther was translated into Greek and sent to the Jewish communities of ancient Alexandria. Seeking a new queen, the king appointed commissioners to bring all the beautiful young virgins from every province into his harem for a year of cosmetic treatments so that he might select a new bride. 22:5). How old was Esther when she became queen of Persia? 2). not tell how old she was, is certainly not historical and appears [3] See discussion in Ilan, Daughters of Israel, Weep for Rabbi Ishmael!: The School of Rabbi Aqiva vs. the School of Rabbi Ishmael,Silencing the Queen: The Literary Histories of Shelamzion and Other Jewish Women(Tbingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006). She died in her sleep at the Royal Lodge, Great Windsor Park, which is now the main residence of her grandson. The Queen ascended to the throne in 1952 at the tender age of 25, and was on a royal tour of Kenya when Philip delicately broke the news that her father, King George VI, had died. Queen Esther is an orphan raised by her uncle Mordecai and is eventually married to King Ahasuerus. 5). This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. 25:49) because she was the niece of Mordecai and Israel was delivered through her (Esth. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. How old was King Xerxes when he married Esther? cit. It was Mordecai who helped Esther win the favor of the King, who then chose her to be his queen. Esther, on the other hand, was taken every day and, like them, she requested miracles. Esther was born about 492BC and was 14 when she became Queen. 2:22): and Esther reported it to the king in Mordecais name, from which the Rabbis learned that whoever properly attributes a statement brings redemption to the world, since, by merit of this act, the king wished to give honor and advancement to Mordecai, which began Hamans downfall (Codification of basic Jewish Oral Law; edited and arranged by R. Judah ha-Nasi c. 200 C.E.Mishnah Avot6:6). In Megillat Esther, we encounter another heroine who maneuvers royal protocol to save her people. The ministering angels took action to inflame Ahasueruss wrath: they appeared as people cutting the trees in his garden, and when the king asked why they were doing this, they said that they were acting on Hamans orders. Scripture is silent on when and how Queen Esther died, and history is also silent on her life, as well. Given new belongings (Esther 2:9). The Bible does not specify how old she was when her parents died. She understood why she had to suffer through her relationship with this irritable king. Victoria, in full Alexandrina Victoria, (born May 24, 1819, Kensington Palace, London, Englanddied January 22, 1901, Osborne, near Cowes, Isle of Wight), queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1837-1901) and empress of India (1876-1901). The grave of Mordecai and Esther still stands in Hamadan; and the Jews of Iran, to this day, are referred to as "the children of Esther.". Is the singer Avant and R Kelly brothers? It was only when Esther came that Ahasuerus removed the likeness of Vashti and replaced it with that of Esther (Esth. It is most unlikely that there ever was a Queen Esther, in which The Queen was the oldest monarch to have reigned in Britain before she passed away in September 2022, aged 96. Mordecai was an important figure in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. We can adjust the hypothetical ages and birth dates of Mordecai, Esther and their parents by a few years and still keep it . Persians are modern day Iranians and they are not Jews. Another view cites the verse (9:27): the Jews undertook and irrevocably obligated themselveswhat they took upon themselves below was confirmed above (BTMegillahloc. Queen Esther and Mordecai were given Haman's estate. As a result, the king reversed his decree and the Jews were saved from death. book of Nehemiah began, although her husband, King Xerxes was According to one tradition, he could not find a wet nurse and he himself miraculously had milk and nursed her(Gen. Rabbah30:8). Another tradition has Mordecais wife nursing the infant (Midrash Tehilim, onPs. Like many Jews today, she had two names, one Hebrew and one Greek. I'm going to guess that Esther probably died with her husband in Esther took place or at the very least was too young to remember Queen Elizabeth, who reigned for 70 years as Britain's monarch, died Thursday at Balmoral, her estate in the Scottish Highlands. Jacob had traveled a great distance to find Laban. In the Book of Esther, Mordecai plays a major role in the events leading up to the deliverance of the Jewish people from their enemies. 7:6): The adversary and enemy, she first pointed to Ahasuerus, but the king moved her hand in Hamans direction. In this article: Her Name Early Life Palace Life Esther and Mordechai Save the King's Life 464 BC. Queen Esther is the reluctant heroine of the Purim story. This last event was around the same time that Esther became Queen. assassinated 20 years earlier (he was probably bout 20-25 years She had two grown sons (Aristobulus and Hyrcanus II), but she decided not to step aside for them; perhaps she foresaw that the rivalry between the younger and older son would not end well. Esther must have been a "teenager" based on the historical and Biblical facts above. That being said, Instead, Haman was hanged, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. The Book of Esther, which does Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. The verse (5:1) Esther put on royal apparel is interpreted as her assuming the spirit of prophecy (BTMegillahloc. 2:7 ). "scroll." Esther turns in prayer to God and compares the situation of the Jews of Persia to that of the Jews in Egypt: in Egypt the Jews cried out and were answered; and in Persia, they fasted, prayed and cried out over their tribulation and the decree that was harsher than that during the time of the Egyptian servitude. Her son Charles, 73, is now king. The Jewish dietary laws delineating the permissible types of food and methods of their preparation. According to the Babylonian tradition, she saw menstrual blood (BT Megillah15a). Esth. "Esther: Midrash and Aggadah." "scroll." Esther also spoke of her merit for observing the womens commandments of the taking ofDuring the Temple period, the dough set aside to be given to the priests. She was compared to a hind, for just as a hind has a narrow womb and is as desirable to her mate at all times as at the first time, so, too, was Esther as desirable to Ahasuerus at all times as at the first time. A seven-day festival to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt (eight days outside Israel) beginning on the 15. Please support us. His father was Kish, who descended from the House of Benjamin. Another tradition has her eating only seeds in the harem, similar to Daniel and his fellows, in order to observe the laws ofThe Jewish dietary laws delineating the permissible types of food and methods of their preparation.kashrut (BT Megillahloc. The story of Esther happened after Cyrus, the first Persian King, called for all deported Jews to return to Jerusalem to build the House of God (538 B.C., Ezra 1:2). Abase him before me, for You abase the proud (Esth. Esther was a good queen. The events of Esther took place between 483 and 473 BC, during the first part of King Xerxes's reign when he appointed Esther as his queen. The Rabbis relate to Esther as the one responsible for the deliverance of Israel and compare her to the moon, which shone for Israel in the darkness of night. [4] Tal Ilan devotes a chapter to discussing the name Shelamzion inSilencing the Queen, 259ff. She succeeded in remaining concealed for four years but was eventually found and brought to the royal palace. Darius must be 37 years old (62 minus 25) when he got married to Esther. Institution: National Library of Israel, Jerusalem. According to the view that Esther was Hadassahs second name, the Rabbis explain that she was given this name because she concealed (histirah) her origins. Then the queen gave Haman's estate to Mordecai and prayed the king to deliver the nation of the Jews from the fear for their lives, and she showed him what the letter that had been sent throughout the country by Haman, the son of Ammedatha; for, she said, if her country were destroyed and her countrymen were to perish, she could herself bear to .